I think it’s fun to see the process of Christmas decorating. Unfortunately, the season speeds by so fast that most of us have no choice but to rush to get a few decorative things up before it’s time to take them down again. I’m a right after Thanksgiving till right before New Years kind of Christmas decorating girl. Which means I’ll have about 4 weeks with our Christmas decor.
So here’s where it is right now. I’m shooting for a natural, rustic, sparkly, white, textured Christmas feel. So I have poinsettias, fresh greenery, a white Christmas tree that I found for $5 at a yard sale years ago, and lights and such so far. Right now I think the mantle looks creepy with the garland dripping down like that, so I’ll be playing around with that over the next few days along with getting the mantle decor just right. Or righter.
Our breakfast/dining area could use a little umph. I’ll try to umph it up over the next few days.
Backing up. Note to self, buy white on white lights for the white tree.
I’m a horrible tree decorator. The tree is always the decoration in our house that I like the worst. Here’s the process where I just look at it and decide if I want to go with burlap or the book page theme. Or both. But the book pages make me feel as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs as my husband would say. It’s one thing to put a bunch of light bulbs on dying, drying out combustible tree~but adding paper kindling all over it? I should just go ahead and douse it in lighter fluid.
And of course, we all have them, the dreaded Christmas bins. I’m not sure what I’m doing up there with the garland on the stairs, I never know where to stop the other side once I start because the railing wraps all the way around like a big box up there and I don’t want to spend the time or money to do that part. But the ungarland railing is totally jealous of the garland railing. I’ll probably take that garland off and use it on the mantle. Or not. Or maybe I’ll just do that first part of the other side. Or not.
So, nothing spectacular here. Just normal chaos in decorating~it always looks worse before it looks better. Please tell me your house isn’t perfectly decorated for the holidays already?
It all looks lovely and I’m sure it will be beautiful when you’re done. I’m a day-after-Thanksgiving decorating girl too and I’m not done with my decorating either. I don’t have a theme for my decor. I’m just using what i’ve used for the past 8 years or so which is gold, silver, and cream with a little red thrown in for good measure. I hope it doesn’t look schizophenic. LOL. I’ll be checking back to see the finished product. Oh and BTW, I’m really looking forward to the Christmas open house on Dec. 15.
I have an idea for your stair garland dilemma. I think you should put the garland on the bottom of the railing (the hypoteneuse of the triangle beneath the railing. You could do it on both sides of the stairs and it would be symmetrical. You can attach the garland with twistie ties or zip ties to the stair rungs.
oh my gosh you said “hypoteneuse”!!! Do you mean on the newel posts? That could work!
Oops, I spelled it wrong. Hypotenuse! Anyways, I sent a pic to you of my idea to nestergirl at gmail dot com. Thanks for your blog. I love it.
Nope, it’s not! :) My bins are out, but we need to move some furniture for the tree before decorating it. The Ukrainians ceelbrate Orthodox Christmas in January, so I get a little extra time to enjoy the decorating (or to procrastinate doing it!). :)
Love the white and natural look you are using. We still have 2 of 9 bins left out, and little piles of things I might still use here and there. Basically a big mess, but at least our 2 large trees are done. Well except for a skirt on the family room tree because the metal tub I have doesn’t fit the tree base.
You are further along than I am! But I just wanted to comment and let you know that I think your white boots sitting in your entryway with the greenery in them are adorable!! Looking forward to seeing the finished product!
Ours is absolutely never perfectly decorated for the holiday and I’m barely started on it this year. We put up the outside lights but I’m a little disappointed that my new LED “white” lights are bluish while the “white” icicle lights are very golden. I can pretend that I was going for a “Silver and Gold” them, right? Yesterday we had company over, who had never been to our house, and I had to shove the decorations boxes out of the way so we could open the front door to let them in. (Definitely not perfect & also not such a big deal) I got the tree all put together and the first strand of lights on before I thought to check and see if any of the lights work. First strand only 1/2 light up and the second and third strands didn’t work at all. Had to pull the first strand off and, for the sake of sanity and out of necessity, decided we would go with a “Hand-made” theme this year. But now I want a real tree to go with that theme. Ah well, maybe I’ll get it all done by December 25th. ; ) And maybe I won’t.
I am so feeling your pain with the lights! Draped the porch railing with lights yesterday, and had spots out in all kinds of weird places. Checked fuses, bulbs. Threw in the towel and added more light strands – different color, too. Oh well. I love that you had company and just pushed it aside to make room for them…that’s what it’s all about.
My decorating is totally finished. Just kidding. Haven’t started yet, but I want to get it done by December 4th! Good luck to both of us! :)
I only have my girl’s room done. Three little trees…white, silver, & of course PINK. In our kitchen, we still have pumpkins….
I LOVE that first photo with the white tree and love the rustic theme. Everything seems so crisp and still gives off a comfy, relaxed vibe! & the white boot with the pine needles in it? So cute… We have our tree up as well, but am flummoxed now how to bring it elsewhere. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for keeping it real! Your house looks great so far.
Last year, while I was pulling out the Christmas decorations, I vowed to NOT put up anything that didn’t STILL hold some meaning for me/us. (Mostly ME, since my family tends to be clueless about such stuff.) Anyway, I ended up giving a bunch of things to Goodwill thus trimming my storage needs! I’m going to do the same thing again this year.
In addition, I am de-Santasizing (or something). I have a cute little collection of Santa stuff that I will probably display all together somewhere in the house, but other than that…we are sort of “done” with Santa around here – so I’d rather have more decorations that center around the reason for the season! That sounds really SCROOGE-Y, but I hope you know what I mean.
Enjoy the process. That’s something I’m going to try to do more of! Merry Merry! ~Sally
Looking good to me! Nothing spectacular?….uh, what are those white boots in the entry way? Umbrella stand? Is it ceramic? Could we DIY one?….must know!
Every year, I come to that point in decorataing that utterly overwhelms me. So much going on, not sure where to put this and that, and of course it ALL needs to be displayed. It looks like Christmas vomited in my house, and it’s one big mess. But then, something magical happens. I sit back, and let the decorations find their home. I pick at it day after day, here and there, between other life events, and it finds it’s own magical spot in the home. I put extras back in storage (yes, it’s ok to not use ALL your decor each and every year), and then I spend the next weeks doing what I love most: admiring the magic and sparkle, watching my children wide eyed as they find another Christmas treasure tucked away here and there, and it makes all the chaos of those early Christmas decor days worth while.
You’re off to a beautiful start! I still have pumpkins around my house…will take them all down today and let the house be decor-free for a few days before I lug out my Christmas bins! It takes me forever for our house to feel “done” and ready for Christmas…sometimes not until Christmas Eve, LOL! I love your white/rustic/sparkly look. I also want to do a lot of natural decorating this year. I got some gorgeous twigs covered in tiny crystals from Michael’s, I’m going ot put them in vases with amaryllis around the house. If you haven’t seen the December Better Homes & Gardens, check it out…there’s a chandelier draped with fresh greens and crystal stars that is incredible. I’m hoping to do something like that on my chandelier but on a much tigher budget. :) Happy Holiday decorating! Thank you for the gorgeous inspiration!
Ha. I still have my autumn decorations up! No perfection here, but it IS still pretty! ; )
4 girlfriends and I spent the weekend decorating each of our houses. We did 2 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. Having so may hands really made it fun. It was fun to see each others’ stuff and to try things that the home owner had never thought of. We all came away with great looking mantles and staircases…We all live in an old neighborhood and it was the best time. The husbands either made us lunch or went out for bagels…They were thrilled to be spared the entire experience….We will do this again.
That is a great idea!
What a wonderful idea!
I just said to myself that I cant wait to see your holiday decor.
My word you didnt disappoint either!
So beautiful!
Mr. Goodwill Hunting
Is there ever such a thing as perfectly decorated? I’m just getting started. The few peeks that I have posted have already been tweaked and will be again and again and again…no doubt about it. I have faith that you will put us all to shame. As it is, I want our white boots! Too darned cute.
“The decoration that I like the worst.” For some reason, I entirely love that line.
Decorating is taking on a whole new spin here in my 1960s rental. We’re all about the color this year, man. We even busted out some colored lights. The big ones.
I use the dreaded empty bins for the wrapped gifts. Last place my kids would ever think to look. I just stack then in the garage and they aren’t the wiser!!
Great idea!
Mine is SO NOT perfect.
WOW even your “in the process” pics are beautiful [loving those boots with greenery]. My tree is ALWAYS a mess………………….with 3 little ones who enjoy rearranging the decor [with the littlest one trying to take bites out of everything]……………….the tree usually ends up “naked” 1/2 way down!
Looks gorgeous so far. Good start on the mantle. (I really need to get a good-looking faux garland for over my fireplace, as we heat with wood… ) I love to put up Christmas, but hate to take it down. Most recent years, I’ve gone with all natural elements, cut from my yard or my parents’, side of the road, etc — basically anything that can be thrown on top of the burn pile with our orchard prunings, like fir and eucalyptus boughs, citrus fruit, pine cones, random nuts and seeds. If it has to be wrapped tenderly in tissue and doesn’t go on the tree, it probably doesn’t get much play around here.
Sort of the Gilda Radner approach (you know, “I base my fashion choices on what doesn’t itch.”). Which isn’t such a bad philosophy, either, come to think of it.
Our house looks like Christmas exploded all over it! The kids got in the spirit of decorating and had their way with every surface! lol. Of course, four and seven year old boys aren’t especially concerned with the overall aesthetics of the decor… so some massive “arranging” is in order. :)
Your post just made me breathe a deep sigh of relief. Our porch has 2 sweet little, lit and decorated Christmas trees sitting in my big planters planters, but you can’t see the little cuties because they’re covered up by a hand-truck (I use to cart the boxes up the hill from my basement), dead mums, a pile of pumpkins and various squash that need to be ditched, and whatever box is in limbo between the messy and confusing piles of holiday in my house and the messy and confusing piles of drawers I want to paint in the basement. Did that make any sense at all??? It shouldn’t, since after all I’m describing utter holiday chaos. :)
My house is a complete mess! I have pumpkins on the kitchen mantel, our pre-lit tree (which absolutely NONE of the bulbs work anymore) is up but no ornaments, bins and fake green bristley things are all over the floor, my floorplants are literally in the middle of the floor because I don’t know what to do with them, and I still have a jack o lantern out. I am energizing up with a spinach salad for lunch…lots of work to do. Oh, and the kitchen sink still has last night’s dinner dishes in it. Ahhhhhh! HELP!
i only decorate one room – my front/living room. So yes, we’re done. But the whole room only took about 30 minutes. In my small 3 bedroom house, it sets the mood to perfection, and I don’t have to stress the rest of the season!
(and thank you for thinking that mantle garland looks spooky. I completely agree!)
Your house is so much more holiday decorated than mine is right now. I have a long way to go…
The thought of pulling down the tree and decorating it this year has given me such anxiety. Why? I thought I would do a small tabletop tree with just sentimental ornaments, but it was too top heavy and fell over. So out of frustration I pulled the big tree out of the attic and have been decorating it a little every day since Thanksgiving so as not to feel overwhelmed. At least the faux trees are pre-lit otherwise I would pull my hair out. I just keep telling myself that it will be worth it for the next month, because I do LOVE seeing it every day once its up. In my dream house, I would have one whole closet designated to rolling the tree – decorations and all – into and out of each year. You are not alone!
Just getting started on my as well. You might want to leave the garland and hang your stockings in front of it. All white stockings or a rustic burlap/with white trimmed ones would look great! Decorating is always a work in progress at my house!
Total Christmas decor chaos here…it just unnerves me trying to put everything up. I think a lot of it is going back in to the bins…less is more…right??
Debbie
Love your “in process” decor! It is beautiful. I have our tree up, mantles decorated and a few odd & ends dones, but it needs ALOT of tweaking. I love how you always keep it real. Can’t wait to see it when you are finished.
I like how you hung your wreath on your window.
I have too many wreaths – not enough doors.
So, this might be a “score!”
Just like me and my house, Nester! I do wind up focusing on one area until I get it done, but I’m not always “feeling it”. Like this year its the mantel. We are in a new house and I have a much narrower and smaller mantel to deal with than the two I had in my old house. I’m going to have to stop thinking about decorating it like I did the “old house” and come up with something fresh I think. Finished the trees {yes, two little ones in addition to our one main one} but I’m not big on putting loads and loads of ornaments on. I love the look, but I can’t help thinking how I’m going to be the one disassembling this tree come January 7th!
Glad to know that other people aren’t as quick to have their home perfectly decorated the day after Thanksgiving!! :) I’ve got to get on the ball!! (BTW – it cracked me up to see your husband (I assume) with two laptops in the first picture….wow….looks like my house!! :) haha!)
If you could only see my house right now. Hot mess, that’s all I have to say.
LOVE this post!
The only part that’s perfection at any given moment is what I’m currently aiming at. And only within camera range. I get my yoga in (I don’t do yoga btw) by using my feet to shove crap out of the way. LOTS of stretching there and multiple times because it generally comes crashing back into view.
I’m not even kidding. And I can’t find my son when he gets home from school. I might need to clean up soon…
Donna
My house is beeeegging to be decorated for Christmas, but I’m making it wait until I can get the rooms clean. It’s hard when the girls trash each room as I leave it. :s I’m not looking for perfection, but clean would be nice. ;)
I am actually pretty much done. But, I started before Thanksgiving. ;-) We got our real tree the day after Thanksgiving (we have two smallish fake ones, too) and I need to get more decorations for it. It is quite big, so it looks too bare right now. Ha
Actually, my house is still perfectly decorated in Thanksgiving decor, but that will come down tonight. I will, however, leave a few pieces of fall decor out until I decorate for Christmas the first weekend of December. We will purchase a live Christmas tree on Friday the 2nd and have all of our decorating done by Saturday evening. My Christmas shopping was completely done before Thanksgiving, so I will have a stressless December. This gives me time to enjoy wrapping gifts without being rushed, and time to enjoy the Holiday season with my family. Your home is truly beautiful as always!
Your home is so beautiful , seriously, even in the “process” it is simply beautiful!!!
Perfectly decorated and no regrets, just paying the price for such a mad rush of decorating. The back hurts from carrying up all those boxes and we’re just, plumb-tired!!! But, you’re right, the time it’s out is so short, have to take advantage of the time when it’s ok to have out the decorations. People start to look at you funny when you still have Christmas garland up the banister on Valentine’s Day.
Your post tickled me so. Yep, no perfection here. Bins everywhere, fabric to make a tree skirt on floor,
stuff is everywhere! On top of all that, I am having a Pampered Chef party tomorrow night at my house. …and I work on Tuesdays. Why am I sitting here????? and better still…why did I schedule a party tomorrow night? :-)
I love your decorating! I start on the Friday after Thanksgiving too. I think it is much nicer to make the house cozy for the holidays than to fight sales at the mall.
Well, our autumn decor is still up in all of it’s glory. Our house is on the market, so I’m slow to put out the Christmas stuff until Dec. 1-ish b/c I really don’t wanna drag it out, then have to put it back up when it sells tomorrow. Let’s pray it sells tomorrow, because that would be awesome and my Christmas decorations could just wait a bit longer to come out of the attic :) I always love your house – even in progress. It’s beautiful!
<3 Jen
I’m a work in progress, here. I have a tree up and other stuff just strewn about. It might help to take down the brown and orange tissue paper pom poms that are hanging from my fan, leftover from a party a week and a half ago! I let the kids help decorate the junk tree in my bedroom so the whole room is obviously a huge disaster still. It’s a fun, creative, try something new and different process. I love it and will probably leave my decoration up until the end of January so hubs can enjoy it while he’s on a break from Iraq in January. Last time he deployed, I didn’t take Christmas all the way down until a week before he came home – - in mid February!
Oh my goodness…thank you for being real and showing us the process. I was stressed about not having things done yet and feeling like the whole world (but me) has it down and done perfectly already. You have given me hope. :) i’ll go ahead and get out my dreaded christmas boxes tomorrow, and it will be beautiful when we’re all done!!
This is the kind of nester post that is my favorite, your thought processes. Reminds me some of the first nester post I read about your boys saying you didn’t know how to decorate for valentines and then the different touches you did for that holiday. Kelly
Kelly~you remember that?!
Oh no…I have not even started! Cleaned the nest today and the boxes will come out tomorrow…then it will be several days of decorating:)
Blessings,
Linda
I gave birth to two natural decorators, so to encourage their inner creativity, we divided up the spaces. The girl’s have our family room to decorate and I have the formal dining room and living room. And because of having three ladies who love to play doll house… we are now done!!! And I couldn’t be happier with the way it all turned out:) Love having my own girly friends right in our little family!!!
Hi, here in Argentina the tradition is to wait till December 8th to put the christmas tree and lights. But this year will be Thursday, and as I work 9 hours and traveling to and frow work takes me 4 hour… the tree will have to wait till Dec. 10th. Then on January 6th, after the magi passed we removed the tree and lights till next year. Now, good point, if I started in November, at least I could appreciate everything longer!